Analysis of The Political Economy of Football

Political Economy of Football
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Institution
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Political Economy of Football
Why is corruption so widespread in global football institutions? What can be done about it?
Corruption is sadly the Achilles heel of the entire world. It is a vice that transcends all borders and takes whoever it can as it sweeps across the world. In football, for example, corruption continues to be a major problem that robs the sport of its excitement and uncertainty. Sports is founded on the principles of fairness and open competition (UNICRI, 2009). Introducing the spirit of corruption robs it of these principles and makes any sporting event unfair and unbalanced. The essence of competition is destroyed as well as the reason for having any sporting event. One of the major corruption scandals that rocked the footballing world includes the revelation that FC Juventus in Italy had been colluding with match officials to help the team gather good results. This particular news rocked the footballing world, and FC Juventus had to relinquish the trophies won in 2005 and 2006. Another major footballing scandal came through the name Sepp Blatter. Despite being the head of FIFA, he took part in corruption activities that saw him be banned from any sporting activities organized by FIFA (The Guardian, 2021). Sepp Blatter was also the subject of investigations from the FBI over a $100 million bribery (ESPN, 2015). There are other numerous reports of corruption scandals in the footballing world, and each robs the beloved sport of its excitement. This paper thus seeks to investigate why corruption is so widespread in global football institutions. Further, this paper will offer recommendations on what can be done to help alleviate and eventually eradicate corruption from football.
One of the reasons why corruption has become rampant in the footballing world is because of the rise and spread of betting companies. Betting companies have grown and managed to spread their influence to different parts of the world. It is not surprising that the growth of betting companies has coincided with the development of smartphones. Today, people have the ability to bet at the palm of their hands. Gambling is quite common today, with little discussion over the negative impacts of the same. Further, gambling companies have grown to become some of the most profitable organizations in the world. However, to maintain their profitability and influence, some have resorted to manipulating the sporting world. UNICRI (2009) notes that betting companies are “manipulating individual games in order to maximize betting revenues.” In his article, Mansel (2010) includes details of how betting manipulates the footballing world and robs the competition of its essence. Apparently, the match-fixing vice is quite profitable, with Ward (2019) reporting that it is a trillion-dollar industry. Betting companies are reaping big by influencing the results of matches, with the fans being robbed of the competition’s adrenaline rush and uncertainties.
Aside from the above, corruption in the footballing world has increased because of construction tenders. Today, football is a profitable business that has helped the growth of other industries as well. The construction in...